News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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I wrote a request for everyone to write a letter of support for dedicating Highway 20 to the Vietnam Veterans. I thought it was a great idea and I accepted the role as chair from Hodges Post #84, in Oroville. I thought the response would be immediate and overwhelming due to those families in the three-plus counties of this state would have had family members that need to be recognized for their dedication to duty during that war. I hope I am not wrong, I need the letters. So, would you take time write me a short letter of support? I am requesti...
I have been tracing my Lucas family back as far as the mid 17th century in LaRochelle, France. I can’t seem to get past Jean Lucas, so for now he is the patriarch of the family. The family followed the teachings of John Calvin and finally left France for Germany and the long emigration to escape to the New World. Part of the family went to Ireland, but my branch went to England to pursue Queen Anne’s pledge to pay their passage to New York. The family took refuge in a fleet of 10 ships who were waiting out the winter for spring sailing. The...
Google Home speakers are “smart,” to use the language of our times. They’re also stolen. That’s according to a recent ruling from the U.S. International Tradex Commission that found Google infringed on five patents from Sonos, a speaker company. The ruling prohibits Google from importing products that infringe on the patented technology -- a decision that could have multimillion-dollar consequences for the folks in Mountain View. Google’s case is no outlier. In August, a federal jury slapped Apple with a $300 million verdict for stealing...
Having just watched a Supreme Court nominee supported by a comfortable majority of Americans draw just three Republican votes in the Senate, you could be forgiven for thinking bipartisanship in Congress is a thing of the past. But if you look carefully, there are plenty of signs that bipartisanship is still possible in Washington. President Biden recently signed a bill reforming the Postal Service, which drew strong support from both parties in Congress. The same happened with a measure that keeps companies and universities from shielding...
Thinning public woodlands to remove millions of dead trees is a way to generate much needed cash to reduce wildfire risks, improve forest health, and protect rural homeowners and farms. It is money the U.S. Forest Service and Washington’s Dept. of Natural Resources don’t have because the bulk of their funds are tied up fighting fires. Our state’s wildfire severity has worsened in recent years. The 2020 fire season was particularly destructive. Over 1,250 square miles burned in more than 1,600...
Anytime you go out anywhere, it is so apparent that people are feeling exhilarated to be outside, and the community is not holding back. After the end of most covid-warranted restrictions in most places, we’re breathing sighs of relief and flexing our collectively stiff, out-of-shape social muscles. And it feels so good. Last night, a junior high softball game and two very young kids’ baseball games were all going on at the same time on Ludolph Field, the athletic field of the former middle school. A breeze seemed to blow good will across eve...
With the wildfires burning in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, one would think we were in summer fire season already. Though, the reality is, it’s mid spring, and fire season is now nearly year-round. In last month’s column, I shared the status of drought for our region. We have not recovered from drought conditions, it’s still here. Looking at the National Integrated Drought Information System, the dryness will continue. For Washington state, the eastern portion is in drought. These condition...
Why am I so lucky? I have a new great granddaughter, at least new to me. She was born the day that President Biden took office, Jan. 20, 2021. I saw Autumn once before, in Spokane at the hospital, but last weekend she was at the house, so I really got an opportunity to watch her closely. She is really mobile and walks all over. Her mother and father are Camille and Mark Fabian. No one can know the joy of seeing a new family generation arrive. As they say “out with the old and in with the new.” I wonder what circumstances await little Aut...
This week, as Native American tribes and communities gather to honor the women and girls who have been murdered or gone missing at alarming rates here in Central Washington and across the country, the glaring question remains: When will this end? For decades, indigenous women have faced a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average, and in Washington state, native women account for 7% of all reported missing women. The lack of a streamlined reporting apparatus and accurate data combined with jurisdictional challenges have left tribes...
Wood buildings are making a comeback in the Pacific Northwest thanks to new laminated timber products. Even very large buildings are now constructed with laminated beams and are successfully competing with steel and concrete building materials. For example, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, is home to one of the world’s tallest “cross laminated timber” (CLT) buildings. Brock Commons, a student residence, is 174 feet high. The 18-story dorm houses more than 400 students. Cross...
Re: “Consolidation touched upon briefly at mayors meeting” I find it interesting that the idea of consolidating our town is coming up again. For a point of clarification, a town in Washington does not need to be in one county. Coulee Dam is in three counties: Okanogan, Grant, and Douglas. Grand Coulee is in two counties: Grant and Lincoln, Elmer City is in Okanogan and Electric City is in Grant. Some years back a lot of time and money was spent trying to consolidate the towns, but the effort never reached a vote. We even formed a hospital dis...
If the local hospital in Grand Coulee wanted parents to be able to make informed decisions regarding whether or not to give the experimental “vaccines” to their children, then they would let the public know how many children under 18 have been admitted to their hospital for treatment, how many have had to go on ventilators, and how many have died due to covid. But evidently, they do not want parents to know that the number is zero in all three cases, because their administrator will not answer the questions. Gary Benton Elmer City res...
I guess these places won’t be secret now. This weekend I visited one of our secret places, Hawk Creek campground. My wife and I used to prepare a picnic lunch and drive to Hawk Creek for one of our outings. I will miss this. There is a high waterfall there that you can walk to and let the roar and splash of the water wash away the cares of the world. This time I went with my oldest son Paul and his wife Cindy. I have had, and my wife and I together have had, many such places. After all, that’s the stuff memories are made of. I had such places e...
Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair was awe-inspiring. It previewed developments that would improve our daily lives in the next millennium. While “Century 21” memories have faded, three of its landmarks remain as reminders of the innovations it inspired: The Seattle Center, the Space Needle, and the monorail. One thing many remember is “The Bubble-ator,” a glass ball-shaped elevator in the coliseum (now Climate Pledge Arena) which gradually climbed to the middle of a contoured map of the Puget Sound reg...
Thousands of young doctors recently learned where they’ll be spending the next few years of their lives in residency. A significant number of them will be U.S. citizens who completed medical school abroad. This corps of internationally educated doctors has become increasingly important to the U.S. healthcare system -- and is tackling a disproportionate share of America’s biggest healthcare challenges. The United States desperately needs doctors. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, we could face a deficit of up to 124...
As our politics degrade, so does our ability to deal with the most urgent issue we all face. Climate change is so very hard to wrap your head around, especially for people like us who live in an area where a river runs through it and powers our homes and businesses with green, hydro-electric energy. It’s easy to be complacent here, until August anyway. That’s when, over the last few years, we’ve come to expect “smoke season” if we’re lucky, “fire season” if conditions push the nature around us to kindling levels and something, anything, causes...
Why am I cold all the time? Doesn’t the weatherman know it’s supposed to be spring? But I’ve seen much colder days. I endured 46 below when working for Potlatch Forest shortly after I got out of high school. Work area layout was a cement slab with a tin roof and the sides all open. Three planer machines filled the interior of the huge shed. One person fed the boards into the machine, and two graders marked the planed boards according to their value. Two more pulled the boards off the chains and put them in appropriate piles. The winter had b...
The news that President Biden plans to resume leasing of federal land for oil exploration maybe good five years from now, but that action alone won’t bring down record gas prices at the pump in the months ahead. According to American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.07 on Good Friday (April 15); down from $4.31 a gallon a month ago. That’s still 70 percent higher than when he took office. The Interior Department announced it will put up...
Many small business owners wonder how cybersecurity pertains to their business, or think they could never fall victim to cybercriminals. But, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), cyber-attacks are a growing threat for entrepreneurs and the U.S. economy. In 2020 alone, the FBI reported that the cost of cybercrimes reached $2.7 billion. While some small businesses have little to no financial resources to devote to professional information technology solutions, tools are available to help understand the risks and where improvement...
Currently, a little over 1.3 million people are serving on active duty in our nation’s military—that is less than half of one percent of the U.S. population. Securing our national defense and protecting our interests is a heavy burden to rest on these men and women, and that is why continuing to care for our servicemembers and veterans is such a solemn duty for the federal government. I’m honored to represent over 39,000 veterans in Central Washington and consider it one of my highest priorities to ensure they receive the high-quality care and...
aMaybe it’s the perspective a long life brings, but I find myself eyeing with some skepticism the glut of “personal brands” that assault us every day on television, in print, and through social media. Entertainers, celebrities, politicians striving for acclaim, artists and writers who’ve mastered the public-relations game, journalists and media stars who are building their national profiles — all are “important” in terms of the attention they garner. But are they actually important? In some ways, of course, the question is impossible to...
Farming season is here, and unfortunately, due to supply-chain issues and rising energy costs exacerbated by President Biden’s policies, input costs are at a record-high. This has placed a huge burden on Central Washington farmers and will have a massive impact on this year’s harvest. A poor harvest does not just hurt a farmer’s bottom line, it hurts everyone up and down the supply chain, from the local community to the end consumer who faces higher food prices and even food shortages. Farmers from across Central Washington are concerned becau...
Spring has arrived! We all are feeling the relief from the overcast, damp, and cold winter weather; it’s behind us once again. Spring is here and summer is fast approaching. Some of you may recall this movie quote. A contestant is asked to describe her perfect date. “That’s a tough one. I’d have to say April 25. Because it’s not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.” Our mood is affected by the weather. In the field of human psychology, some studies address the association...
In my column I have often mentioned what good neighbors I have. I particularly mention Dave and Dorothy Stiegelmeyer, who frequently are doing little things to make life easier for me. I received a postcard recently from an old friend asking if he was a good neighbor when living next to us in Nampa, Idaho when we were both attending college. That was in or about 1957. I assured him that he was. Earl Tromburg and his wife Velma lived right next to us in the Vetville apartment complex made up of about a dozen apartments for students attending sch...
My wife Dorothy has suffered from dementia for the past several years. We have been able to care for her in our home for these past years until recently all the family agreed that the level of care she needed could no longer be provided by me in the home. It is fortunate that our two grandchildren, Ashley Landeros and Travis Irwin, live here and handled all the details, paperwork, and other needs during this time, always mindful of my feelings and the concurrence of family members who live elsewhere. We sought a place for this care and were...